Getting the design you want (when you’re not sure what you want)!

For contest holders who haven’t quite pinned down what design elements they’re seeking in a design – “I’ll know it when I see it!” is a refrain we often hear – a good starting point is to simply describe what your company does and what you hope to communicate. After all, as with solving any problem, it’s always a good idea to start with what you know.

Mutant Communications, a new PR company based in Singapore, did pretty much just that in its recent logo design contest, which you can view here. By providing designers with a clear description of what the company is and does, rather than detailing the particular type of logo it had in mind, the company put a lot of faith in the designers’ creativity. Mutant also provided a couple sample logos from 99designs logo gallery, which we recommend. Of course, having a name like “mutant” no doubt helped to get the creative juices flowing! But as the company explained, it wasn’t after something cartoony or youth-focused – it wanted to get across the concept of “evolution, i.e. the next step in communication.”

The silver-level design contest proved a major draw to designers, pulling in more than 370 entries from 131 designers. In the end, Mutant went with Australian designer ackdzn, who submitted two entries.

Ackdzn explained, when submitting the designs, that she wanted to create a “memorable visual pun… with no immediate loss of comprehension to the customer.” In addition to the logo design, she provided a mock-up for business cards, specifically designed to be slightly longer than the norm in order to complement the wordmark. (Haven’t hear the term “wordmark” before? Here’s a good explanation.)

From the font and color to the style and presentation, Mutant Communication’s new logo encompasses all the qualities the company was looking for – it’s fun, cutting-edge and highly professional.

Another significant outcome in this case is that the contest holder and the designer have discussed continuing their collaboration to further develop the identity of the company. A successful design plus a successful transaction yield a happy designer and a satisfied client.

99designs has helped numerous public relations and communications agencies around the world with their logos over the years – check out these other designs for Blue Mango (Singapore), Citrus (Melbourne, Australia), and Campfire Communications (Maryland, USA). What do you think – which do you like best, and why?

Illona is a Community Team member and a liaison to the Indonesian community at 99designs. She is originally from Los Angeles, CA and graduated from UC Santa Cruz. You can often find her hanging out with her Australian Shepherd, Lilah, or in the kitchen testing out new dessert recipes.